By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
The 2026 Budget Update process begins this Wednesday, as Council will be presented with the revised numbers to the approved 2024-27 multi-year budget.
‘Investing in Today. Empowering Tomorrow’ is the theme of the municipality’s first multi-year budget, which was adopted in 2024.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on YourTV and can also be viewed on the municipality’s and YourTV Facebook and YouTube online sites.
The draft budget will be posted online at www.chatham-kent.ca/ourbudget for viewers to follow as the budget update is tabled.
Residents can voice their opinion on the budget during two virtual community open houses on the Municipality’s Facebook page.
The sessions take place on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 12 noon, and on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., during which municipal staff will field questions from online participants.
The administration will present a brief summary of the 2026 annual budget update at the beginning of each consultation session, followed by an opportunity for public input through a live question-and-answer session.
Budget deliberations begin Tuesday, Nov. 25, with sessions also scheduled for Nov. 25-27.
If Council cannot approve the budget after the first three sessions, deliberations will continue on Dec. 2 and 3.
All budget meetings will be held in-person in the Council Chambers at the Civic Centre, 6-10 p.m. nightly, as well as livestreamed on YourTV CK’s YouTube Channel.
Anyone wishing to make a deputation regarding the budget can do so during the Opening Night meeting or on the first night of deliberations on Nov. 25. Requests and submissions must be sent by email to ckfps@chatham-kent.ca before noon on those dates.
The municipality developed its first multi-year budget for 2024-27 to provide strategic financial planning for the current term of Council.
“The implementation of multi-year budgets is not a one-time exercise, but one that must be reviewed and adopted annually through the annual budget updates,” read a statement on the Budget Update page on Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent.
“Switching to a multi-year budget provides the residents of Chatham-Kent with greater certainty of their future taxes along with the implementation timelines of council’s strategic plan,” the statement concluded.
The first multi-year budget (2024-27) was passed in November 2024 with a 5.53% tax increase for 2024.
Last year, Council needed only two nights of deliberation to approve a 4.99 per cent tax increase, which was almost half the 9.40 per cent projected hike.
General comments regarding the budget can be submitted at any time by email to ckfps@chatham-kent.ca, by mail to Budget & Performance Services, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, 315 King St. West, Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K8, or by phone to 519-360-1998.
